From YourHome.ca:
Disposing of batteries, other hazardous waste easier under new plan

There's a new way to throw out paint and other items left over from renovations.
New homeowner Sarah Daly was in a quandary over where to dispose of her half-empty paint cans.
She knew she could – but shouldn’t – throw the cans in the trash or her home recycling bin.
“We were at a loss of what to do with them,” said the 33-year-old Toronto resident.
Now Daly has a new place to take her leftover paint. Later this week, she and millions of other Ontario residents will learn the details of a $28 million program that will take the headaches out of getting rid of such waste and allow them to simply return it to the store.
It’s part of a new program aimed at diverting more than 32,000 tonnes of household and hazardous waste from Ontario’s landfills over the next five years.
“It’s a fantastic idea,” she said. “Everyone needs to know about it.”
Ontario’s Do What You Can program allows millions of people throughout the province to take back waste, like paint and used non-rechargeable batteries, to participating home renovation stores, such as Home Depot or RONA.
The program will later be expanded to include items such as aerosol containers, fluorescent light bulbs and switches that contain mercury, while a third phase will deal with waste such as contact cement and corrosive cleaners.
While the first phase of the recycling push began in July as municipalities collected more waste on specially designated days, it has taken time for Stewardship Ontario to get retail operations involved, Environment Minister John Gerretsen told the Star. A news conference is planned for Thursday to announce expanded retail collection sites and the program’s website.
By clicking on the website www.dowhatyoucan.ca and plugging in their postal code or municipality, consumers can find out which products they can recycle and where.
Stewardship Ontario, created in 2002 by Waste Diversion Ontario, runs both the Blue Box recycling and the municipal hazardous or special waste programs.
“We’ve only just begun,” said Gerretsen. “This is all about keeping hazardous material out of landfill sites and down the drain.”
Too much of this “potentially toxic” material is ending up in landfills, said Gerretsen. Unless people act now to clean things up, 70 years down the line “they’ll have to clean it up at a much higher cost,” he said.
The program will cost $28 million in its first year, a cost being borne by the makers or importers of paints, engine coolants and batteries, for example. The companies pay fees to Stewardship Ontario based on the amount and type of materials they sell in the province. At least 330 firms, including Honda and Procter & Gamble, are now involved in Stewardship Ontario.
The program does not cost the government a penny and not a cent from it will end up in government coffers, added Gerretsen.
“The producer will be held more responsible,” said Gerretsen. If companies want to add to the price of their product, then that is up to them, said Gerretsen. He said no one tells paint stores how much they should charge for paint. “They can charge the fee back to the consumer if they so wish.”
Under the program, Home Depot stores will take back spent single-use batteries and old paint. Some participating RONA stores will collect unwanted paint. Jiffy Lube and Pro Oil Change plan to take back used oil filters, empty automotive oil containers and antifreeze.
“If you buy a can of paint and there is some left over, take it back to the store,” Gerretsen said.
Once waste such as spent single-use batteries are collected by a store like The Home Depot, Stewardship Ontario will take the used products away. The batteries are transported to a processor. Steel and anything else that can be reused or recycled are removed. What can’t be used is disposed of appropriately, according to environmental disposal standards.
The manufacturers or importers of these products are obliged by law to pay fees to operate this program, but it also has public relations benefits.
“There has been a major cultural shift in their thinking,” he said. “People are more environmentally sensitive to these issues.”
For her part, Daly is thrilled she now has a place she can get rid of the 10, unfinished six-gallon tubs of paint she has in her home. Daly and her partner Nelson Fernandes bought an older home downtown. They are in the process of updating and find themselves frequent visitors to home renovation stores.
“Living downtown we don’t have a car. We can get to a Home Depot by TTC,” said Daly.
The first phase of the program allows for returns of paints and coatings and their containers, solvents such as thinners for paint, lacquer and contact cement, paint strippers and degreasers, used oil filters, oil containers of 30 litres or less, single-use batteries, antifreeze, propane tanks, fertilizers, herbicides, insecticides and pesticides.
The second phase – which Gerretsen hopes to launch this summer – will allow consumers to return more items such as aerosol containers, fluorescent light bulbs and tubes, switches that contain mercury, thermostats, thermometers and barometers.
A final phase will deal with items like contact cement, corrosive cleaners such as ammonia, and pool and photo chemicals.
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As soon as the snow begins to fall, the holidays are top of mind—decorations go up, carols play on the radio and you hit the stores in a shopping frenzy, which tends to last straight through to the New Year, leaving you exhausted and your wallet empty. This year, save your sanity by preparing for the holidays now with our Top 10 list of ways to get ready. Once December rolls around you’ll be relaxed and ready to entertain!1. Card CoolMake your holiday card list—then make your holiday cards! Craft stores and dollar stores stock up holiday supplies in the fall, so now’s the time to pick up pretty card stock and accessories, from stamps to ribbon to decorative decals, to make your holiday cards unique.2. Present SenseMake your list and check it twice so you can give great gifts this year. Finding inspired gifts that your recipients will love takes time, which you’ve still got right now! Next time you’re at your sister-in-law’s house, take note: does her toaster take two hours to heat up? Are her wine glasses mismatched? Do her slippers have holes in the soles? Pay close attention each time you see a person on your gift list and once you start shopping you’ll have plenty of useful gift ideas for everyone on your list!3. Who’s to HostBy mid-December, you always seem to get burnt out travelling to three holiday parties in one night—at opposite ends of the city. To save your sanity this season, consider hosting your own party so that you’ll get to see all your family and friends in one night without leaving home! Whether you’re hoping to host Christmas dinner or a holiday open house, send your invites now. By December, invites will be fast and furious and if you want to make sure your loved ones can come to your fete, make sure your invitations are the first they receive. This way they have time to respond and plan, especially if travel and accommodations are involved. Want to escape the hoopla altogether? Book your getaway now, before prices soar.4. Show StoppersLooking for a way to spend time with your family without having to cook a huge meal or entertain? Buy tickets to a holiday show (try a ballet production of The Nutcracker or a choir performing Handel’s Messiah). Tickets for these type of performances will go on sale in early winter, and picking up a block of seats is not only a good way to spend time with relatives or friends you don’t see often, but can also make for great gifts—so you’ll be done before you even starting stressing about shopping!5. Make and BakeInstead of bringing another bottle of wine or chocolates to each holiday party you attend, create a unique gift that your host will remember. Try preserves such as strawberry-rhubarb jam or peach salsa. Place them in sealed jars and store in a cool dark place until it’s ready to be gifted. Love Christmas cookies? Try baking one recipe every weekend until the holidays. Store the dough (or the finished sweets) in airtight containers and freeze for a few months. For a twist on fruitcake (and great for a holiday brunch) try zucchini-raisin or cranberry-lemon loaf.6. A Decorative PlanYou don’t have to string the lights to your roof just yet, but early winter is the time to plan out how you’re going to decorate this year. Now is the time to plan your decor and start stocking up on supplies. Want to make your own wreath? Head out on a hike while the weather’s nice to collect pretty coloured leaves, nuts, twigs and berries you can dry before use. Want to sew a new tree skirt? Head to your local fabric store and choose your fabric, and ask a sales associate for help with a pattern—they’re happy to help you with a long-term project.7. Plant Your TreeInstead of chopping down another Christmas tree, only to have the needles fall off mid-December, plant your Christmas tree outdoors this year. Fall is the ideal time to head to the garden stores for end-of-summer sales, especially on a small fir, pine or spruce. Then, find an ideal spot in your yard where you can watch your Christmas tree grow for years. Or, pick up a large planter box and pot the tree, so that you can keep it right outside your window and enjoy it while you’re having breakfast. Add lights and secure shiny, weather-durable ornaments or red velvet bows with wire gauge. It sure beats hauling the old fake fir out of the basement.8. Class ActionSign up for a class that you can turn into a gift-giving idea. Try a pottery class (then make letter ornaments for each member of your family), a knitting class (try scarves or slippers), or a sewing class (yoga bags, tea cozies, shoe bags or wine bags are easy and popular gifts). Not only will you have a chance to not think about the stressful holidays for a few hours a week, you’ll have half your shopping done before others have even started.9. File HighHoliday issues of magazines are a great source of inspiration when it comes to hosting, cooking, baking, decorating and gift ideas. But by the time those magazines come out, and you rip those pages out, it’ll be far too late. Head to the library and look at back issues of December issues of your favourite magazines. Photocopy pages you like and then pick up a three-ring binder from your local office supply store. Hole-punch each of your inspiration pages and use dividers to create sections: Baking, Cooking, Crafts, Decorating, Gift ideas, etc. Use sticky notes to give yourself reminders (i.e. Gift for Susie, Bake for Office Party).10. Take NoteFor the ultimate way to be prepared, keep a holiday notebook with you at all times. Pick up a small book that comes with a pen loop, and slip it into your handbag. Always changing purses? Buy one for each. Then, make a heading at the top of each page (Gift ideas: Mom, Appetizers: Party). Whenever you get inspired, jot it down. Then, when you’re ready to start your shopping, you’ll have your lists ready to go!



